Understanding Technology Transfer and Open Educational Resources Uptake Through the Technology Acceptance Model and Diffusion of Innovations Frameworks: Evidence from Secondary School Teachers in Tanzania

Abstract

This study examines the key factors shaping technology transfer and the adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) among secondary school teachers in Kigamboni District, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, anchored in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory as complementary analytical lenses. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, data were collected from 160 teachers across eight public secondary schools via structured questionnaires, of which 148 were correctly completed and returned (response rate 92.5%), supplemented by semi-structured interviews with all eight head teachers. The study finds a growing institutional awareness of OER and technology transfer, yet meaningful and sustained implementation remains constrained by poor infrastructure, inadequate professional development, and the absence of coherent institutional policies. Teachers strongly recognise the pedagogical value of OER (82.4%), yet actual adoption rates remain low (47.3%), revealing a persistent gap between awareness and practice. A chi-square test confirmed a statistically significant association between school-level infrastructure quality and OER adoption frequency (χ² = 14.23, df = 3, p = .003). Head teachers consistently attributed low adoption to structural rather than motivational factors. Findings call for coordinated responses: strengthened digital infrastructure, continuous professional development, and explicit policy frameworks supporting equitable technology integration. The study contributes locally anchored, empirically grounded evidence to regional and global conversations on OER uptake in low-resource educational contexts.